Grouper Moon Project - 2008

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Video Compilation of the Little Cayman Spawning Aggregation

Click here. The file is 20MB and will take a few minutes to download. The clip includes footage of:

the large number of Nassau grouper at the site (estimated at 3,000-3,500 individuals) a few days prior to spawning; the use of the site by many different species to spawn (including horse-eye jack); Caribbean reef sharks that try to prey on spawning (and distracted!) fish; and finally the big event, Nassau grouper spawning.

Larval Dispersal Study

Satellite drifter being deployed at the spawning aggregation site.: Photo by Brenda HittTracks of three current drifters that were released at the Little Cayman West End aggregation site on 1/29/08, the night of Nassau grouper mass spawning.: Updated 02/21/08, click on image for a larger view.Capitalizing on the the increased breadth of research questions being asked as part of the Lenfest Ocean Program grant, the CIDOE is supporting a larval dispersal study that also kicked off this year under the guidance of Dr. Scott Heppell from OSU. Three satellite drifters were deployed at the Little Cayman aggregation site on the night of spawning. The paths will be recorded by ARGOS satellites for 45 days and the resulting data will be used to develop a larval dispersal model in collaboration with researchers from University of Miami.

Images of Research

A gallery of video and images from the 2008 Grouper Moon Project research activities.

A large group of males and one female in a spawning release 7 days after the full moon.Nassau grouper aggregating to spawn on the West End of Little Cayman.Grouper Moon lead scientist Brice Semmens fishing to tag Nassau grouper for acoustic tagging on Cayman Brac.: The yellow buoys are deployed to indicate the spawning aggregation protected areas.A Nassau grouper from Cayman Brac that will be acoustically tagged to better understand local reproductive behaviors.2008 Grouper Moon Field Team.